The invention relates to personal protective equipment worn over clothes that can be stowed in an integral waist pack with retractable padding and support for use during physical activities where effective padding of the buttocks, lower back and spine, coccyx, hips, and thigh region is desirable.
Active sports such as in-line skating, snow boarding, and off-road bicycling have become increasingly popular. As these and other sports increase in popularity, there is likewise an increasing need for protective equipment to prevent injury due to falls. When repeated falls on the buttocks area are expected, significant amounts of padding have been implicated to assist in minimizing flare-ups and aggravations of musculo-skeletal disorders (such as soreness and bruising) as well as the minor neurological problems which may be associated with participating in snowboarding, skateboarding, skating, bicycling, and like activities.
Most existing buttock padding systems consist of rubber, plastic or gel pads fastened into shorts or worn as a unit. It is not convenient to change into or out of bulky padded shorts and/or transport and store them, especially without access to a changing facility. Also, diminished mobility may result from padding under the athlete""s clothing in some circumstances. One example includes padding systems consisting of bulky neoprene rubber devices that are worn around the waist and legs, which may lack attachable pads and be susceptible to tearing during a fall, especially a sliding fall, on a hard surface.
However, one previous attempt includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,613 granted to Rhee teaches of a device for buttock and hip protection when skateboarding and is worn on the outside of one""s clothing. Although an efficient design for skateboarding, the Rhee device is not designed for ease of storage, as the foam and resilient plastic portions are somewhat bulky. Further, if the Rhee device were not used for skateboarding, but rather for a sport done while sitting down, the center plastic resilient portion would interfere with sitting due to the curved shape. The curved shapes of the center and corner portions may also act like a snow, dirt, mud, or gravel scoop if used for skiing, snowboarding, or bicycling. The scooping effect during such a fall, due to the spoon-like shape of the plastic center portion and the corner portions, is exacerbated by the elastic cords which enable the scoop intake opening to enlarge. The scooping effect inhibits the slidability of the Rhee invention and therefore the person wearing it.
In addition, a large body of previous attempts of improved sitting inventions that naturally include some padding devices or other concepts to effectuate the isolation of the buttocks and a seating surface. The main improvement that relates to sports padding is a cushion that may be fastened on the outside of the wearer""s clothing so that when the wearer sits down, the cushion is already affixed to the buttocks region. Further, these variations on what are essentially backless and legless chairs, besides a cushion or pillow affect, may include ease of transport and/or storage, temperature insulation, and water resistance (for sitting on wet surfaces). However, these sitting devices are designed for sitting, and are therefore rarely compatible, by design, with sporting or other activities that require a lot of physical activity and mobility because sitting is generally inherently inactive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,957 granted to Willford et al., provides a bulky safety and comfort tool for roofers to be used when sitting on a slick roofing surface, especially high-pitched roofs. However, inherent and required in the Willford et al. device is a very high coefficient of friction (with respect to the seating surface or a roof) that, regardless of the density of the foam material used, would both tear and effectively consolidate total impact force into the initial impact moments if a sporting participant were to fall and/or slide on a hard surface with a reasonable amount of inertia in a sliding motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,959 granted to Somers teaches of a device that is designed for specific sports that primarily involve sitting in situations where temperature and moisture isolation is desirable. The Somers device, which involves a substantial portion of foam material and two layers of neoprene in the seat region, embraces and wraps around the inseam and each leg in varying degrees (depending on the embodiment), and may well add to the comfort level of ice fishermen or a hunter sitting and waiting in a cold and wet duck blind or tree perch. However, the Somers device is bulky due to the foam and neoprene and not designed for ease of transportation or stowage, but rather for sitting and to not unduly impede walking short distances. However, the embracing and wrap-around design to impart greater water resistance when seated also serves to impede twisting and pivoting movements, as are common in mogul skiing, aerial free-style skiing, and snowboarding. Additionally, the embracing and wrap-around design of the Somers device would likely cause irritation in the crotch and inner thigh region from friction when used in a high mobility activity.
Prior attempts at inflatable seating devices that are fastened about the buttocks and thighs of the user, which are also easy to transport and stow, are not common. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,247 granted to Malmstrom teaches an inflatable seat cushion with a waist belt and a right and left leg strap. The device taught in Malmstrom is designed to provide a cushion for the user to sit on during outdoor sporting events with extremely limited movement in mind, such as standing up, sitting down, and ambulatory movement of short distances, as the Malmstrom device is designed to be deflated prior to transport to and from another outdoor sitting spectator event. Further, the air bladder of the Malmstrom device is designed to remain generally flat, even presumably when the legs of the wearer are constantly moving in ambulatory actions, and therefore is unsuitable for sporting or other activities that require high mobility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,634 granted to Brinkman provides a convenient pouch and water resistant seating surface which retracts (into the pouch) and is designed to keep the user""s clothing and person from getting wet when sitting on a wet surface. Likewise, the Brinkman device would severely inhibit movement, comfort, performance and likely tear or rip when used in an activity that requires mobility due to the flat sheet formation of the non-padded surface as well as leg straps which are designed to keep the sheet in place for a standard sitting position. The Brinkman device is designed to be folded away when the user is done sitting. For example, if the user wore the Brinkman device when skiing and fell, it is likely that the Brinkman device would either tear or act as a snow scoop (especially between the legs and below the inseam) during the fall and would retain a layer of snow and moisture between the sheet and the person, likely ensuring the user""s buttocks, besides not being cushioned, would become sore and wet.
Thus, there is a need for a removable and retractable sport padding system that effectively, or at least partially, isolate impacts, is easy to put on, is convenient enough to make its use a seamless part of any sport, while at the same time is easy to remove, and discretely stow so as not to interfere with activities before and after the events.
The invention relates to safety and personal protective equipment for use during physical activities such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skating or other activities that may involve falls on hard surfaces or several smaller impacts. In particular, the invention relates to inflatable air bladder padding and sleeve, and in some embodiments, removable additional padding and braces that can be worn over clothes and that can be stowed in an integral waist pack. The invention protects the buttocks, lower back and spine, tailbone, and hips when properly fastened around the waist and legs. The addition of exterior attachments to the padding system helps to protect the padding system from tearing during a fall and assists the user to slide along a hard surface after a fall. When the leg straps, inflatable air bladder, and sleeve are retracted into the waist pack, the invention functions and looks like a xe2x80x9ctypicalxe2x80x9d waist pack, allowing the padding system to be carried conveniently and discretely.
The padding system of the present invention incorporates sufficient amounts of padding in order to decrease the minor traumas of the predictable impacts associated with the learning, training, participating, and competing in certain activities and sports. It is intended that this device can be used to prevent or minimize at least minor injuries and preferably more serious injuries. An embodiment of the present invention includes a removable back brace for further safety and protection. Another embodiment of the present invention is designed to allow the relevant portion of the padding system to be pulled down when the sleeve is fastened to the legs in order that the coccyx of the user is protected.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective padding system that can be worn outside one""s clothes and is easily and quickly put on, configured for use, reconfigured for stowage, as well as removed. Further, the present invention preferably provides a padding system that does not hamper the user""s immediate performance or cause a large inconvenience and waste of preparation time. It is further intended that the duration of the user""s optimal performance may be increased by reducing pain, thus increasing comfort and concentration of the user. The ability of the present invention in concert with existing padded shorts and other undergarment padding systems is yet another object of the present invention.
A further object of the invention is to provide at least one water resistant chamber for items stored within the waist pack of the invention, including a water resistant separation from a retracted and moisture-laden air bladder and sleeve.
The inflatable air bladder and/or sleeve of the present invention is designed to conform to the user""s shape. A first embodiment conforms to the shape of the user""s figure by employing a semi-bifurcated air bladder shape. A second embodiment conforms to the shape of the user""s figure by employing a biased air bladder. A third embodiment conforms to the shape of the user""s figure by employing a biased sleeve. Further, a fourth embodiment conforms to the shape of the user""s figure by employing both a biased air bladder and a biased sleeve. In yet another embodiment, the air bladder, air hose and/or pump are removable, and if need be, repairable or replaceable.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.